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Posted: February 6, 2012 - 9:55am

School board to meetThe Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. at 148 N. Binkley Street in Soldotna (unless otherwise noted).For more information, call 714-8888 or visit http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/school_board.aspx?id=13414. The agenda and packet items are posted on Wednesday afternoon prior to the date of the Board meeting.Persons with disabilities who need accommodations to participate at School Board meetings should contact Sally Tachick at 907-714-8836, or e-mail stachick@kpbsd.k12.ak.us no later than three business days before the meeting date.* February 6, 2012;* March 5, 2012;* April 2, 2012;* May 7, 2012 (Meeting to be held at Seward High School); * June 4, 2012; * June 5, 2012 (Board Planning Session)Email BoardComment@kpbsd.k12.ak.us to make a comment about any item on the current agenda (comments will be reviewed for appropriateness and length). Comments will be shared during the Board meeting by the Board president. Send a request message to stachick@kpbsd.k12.ak.us if you would like an email subscription to the School Board agendas as soon as they become available.

Workforce development offers academiesThe following after school academies are available for all local high school students and are free:* Introduction to Criminal Justice academy will be starting February 7th at the Workforce Development Center and will end on April 19th. Class days will be Tues. and Thurs. from 5-8pm. Students will learn all of the different careers in the criminal justice pathways: Probation Officer, Parole Officer, Police Officer, Dispatcher, Criminal Justice Technician and more.* Plumbing Academy beginning Feb 6th at Soldotna High School with instructor Tyson Cox. This will be an introduction to care and use of tools, fittings and materials used in the plumbing and heating trade to safely transfer fluids and gases. Students will learn how to connect many types of pipe and tubing using proper techniques and fitting to specifically include copper, pex, ABS, and cast iron. Class days are Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-6:30 thru Apr 23rd.* Emergency Trauma Technician (ETT) academy will be held at one of our local high schools (TBA) beginning after Spring Break and will run thru April. Class days will be Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30pm-6:30pm and occasional Saturdays from 9-5. This course will cover all areas required to receive certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. The last week of class will be for review and the final exam. If you pass the exam you'll receive your certification and an ETT patch. There will be a construction academy coming up sometime after Spring Break in the Kenai and Ninilchik area. Dates and times TBA. If a student successfully completes any of the 60-hour academies they are eligible to receive a half practical art credit. Transportation may be provided if needed. To sign up contact your counselor or call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or email dpearson@kpbsd.org .Funding for the Alaska Construction Academies comes from a grant from the AK Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, The AK Dept. of Commerce and Economic Development and The AK Youth First Program.

Cook Inlet AcademyFeb. 18th is family movie night with free popcorn and drinks and the movie, "Courageous" in the CIA Gym at 6:30 p.m. No charge; just a free night for the family! Invite your friends!2012 All-School Science Fair on is Feb. 27th. Preschool -2nd graders will be completing in-class projects. All aspects of their entries will be completed with their teachers. 3rd-6th graders will do at-home projects. Mrs. Lyons and Mr. Shields will let you know of their requirements. If you have more than one child in these grades, family entries will be accepted. Secondary students will produce individual exhibits based on their Science teacher's guidelines. Students will be expected to work on these in class and at home. These projects will be graded as well as judged in the competition. Lower elementary students will receive participation awards. Students in grades 3 and up will be judged and eligible to receive first, second, or third place ribbons and grand prize trophies! Questions? Secondary students see Tristan Leiter; elementary students see Ginni DeLon. GYM BANNERS. If you have a business and would like to advertise while at the same time, supporting our athletic program, you can do so by purchasing a banner to be put up in our gymnasium. Applications are available at the office. First time fee is $250, which includes your new banner, as well as a season pass to the CIA sport of your choice, home games. Annual renewal is $150. Stop by the office, or give us a call, if you would like an application!

Connections Home-schoolThe BOOK IT! K-6 Program has begun and we are happy to be a part of it. Spend just 20 minutes each day focusing on raising a reader. Set a monthly reading goal and when that goal is met , celebrate achievement by going to Pizza Hut and redeeming the BOOK IT! coupon for a personal pan pizza. Coupons are available at the Soldotna Connections office. Please call Lennie Yoter with any questions. More information may be found at http://bookitprogram.com/Parents/index.asp.Connections Homeschool is enrolled with the National Spelling Bee. All Connections students in grades 3-8 are encouraged to participate to build confidence, increase vocabulary and improve spelling skills.The 2012 Alaska State spelling bee will be held on Thursday, March 8th in Anchorage. For word lists and more information, contact Lennie Yoter at 714-8880 or eyoter@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.Connnections Homeschool is on Facebook, and we want to connect with you there! Find us at "Connections Homeschool http://on.fb.me/FacebookConnectionsHomeschool."

IDEA Home-schoolIDEA students participated in the FLL Competition for Lego Robotics in Anchorage in January. The Magnum Opus team won 1st place for Project and Presentation. Congratulations to those team members: William Hoogenboom, Brett Merrow, Eddie Ireland, Bradley Veal, RJ Bunn, Scott Loehr and Ben Amend with coaches:Kimberly Merrow and Dawn Hoogenboom. The Legoteers team place 6th overall in the competition. Congratulations to members: Sara Loehr, Anna Loehr, Matthew Minium, Alie Minium, Polar Beard, Ahlysse Beard, Zion Alioto, Keira O'Dell, and May Bruno with coaches: Billy Loehr and Pam Beard. The Junior Lego teams did really well also and were commended by the judges, congratulations to team members: Grizzly Bears, Gabe Bruno Bruno, Paul Morris, Dominic Alioto and Callen Ireland with coach Jill Bruno of the The Bean Google team and to the Reigning Lego Friends: Olivia Loehr, Russell Bunn, MacKenzie Hoogenboom, Blake Merrow, Luke Veal, Sean Vela and coach Tammy Bunn. Congratulations to these fine teams for representing IDEA so well at the Lego Robotics Competition.Families plan to join in the fun of the Scripps Spelling Bee Competition on February 7th at 10:30 am at the IDEA office in the Red Diamond Center. This competition is for students in grades 3 through 8. Sign-up is available by calling 260-7555 and asking for Marian.President's Day Fun is coming on February 16th. Plan to join us for hands-on activities for grades K-6 surrounding the Presidents, voting and the White House. Learn and enjoy the day all at the same time.

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and ScienceThe APC will meet this Thursday, February 9th at 4pm. Parents are welcome to come to all APC meetings! The PTA will hold their next meeting February 16th at 4pm in the library. The Annual School Carnival will be held next Friday, February 17th. Volunteers are still needed to run booths. Please contact Jan Marquis at jankathleen@gmail.com if you are interested in helping. There will be a Staff Appreciation Week committee meeting on Thursday, February 9th at 3pm in the Parent Room to begin planning this event! Staff Appreciation will be held March 12th-16th. Artist Shala Dobson will be at the school February 6th-16th. She will be working with students and teachers during this time. Check with your child's teacher for volunteer opportunities. Shala will hold a Parent Workshop at 9:15 a.m. on February 16th so please plan to attend! No young children please. There will be an art reception on February 16th at 2:30pm to showcase all of the student's art created with Miss Shala. Everyone is invited.February 17th is Favorite Book Character day. Dress up as your favorite character from your favorite book. If you have not yet attended a New Parent Informational Meeting, we have two more scheduled. The dates are February 18th at 10am and February 23rd at 8am. These meeting are for all current Kaleidoscope families that have not yet attended a meeting and for all new families that have entered the lottery. Another great way for new families to get information about Kaleidoscope is to come on a school tour. School tours will be held at 10:30am every Wednesday during the month of February. Lottery applications for the 2012-2013 school year are being accepted now through March 2nd at 4pm. If you have a sibling that will be enrolling next year, please make sure to stop by the office and fill out a sibling lottery application.

Kalifornsky Beach ElementaryThe Cookie Dough Fundraiser products will be on sale through Feb. 9. Orders will be delivered on Feb. 29. There are many new choices. Be sure to get your order in!We have many upcoming events this month. See the list below and be sure to check the PowerSchool daily bulletin.February is "Love of Reading" month!Feb. 6-10 -- Classrooms will decorate their doors with their favorite book and authorFeb. 10 -- Spirit Day: Dress up as your favorite book characterFeb. 13-17 -- Turn off the TV and read weekFeb. 17 -- IditaRead kick off assembly with Bruce LintonFeb. 19 -- IditaRead beginsFeb. 20 -- Dan the Stream Man will be visiting classesFeb. 26 - March 2 -- Dr. Seuss Trivia, Community readers visit, Dr. Seuss' birthday, IditaRead Winner announced.Feb. 10 -- Last day for the Canned Food drive. Please bring in your donations of food and blankets.Feb. 13 -- Site Council Meeting at 3:00 in Mrs. Linton's officeFeb. 16 -- "Bernie Jones" literacy assembly with Sharon Bushell and Johnny B. 1:30 in the gym. 5th & 6th grade Battle of the Books competition Feb. 17 -- Forensics classroom competitions 3rd & 4th grade Battle of the Books competitionFeb. 24 -- Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction Feb. 27 -- Jump Rope for Heart this week during P.E. classes.

Kenai Alternative High SchoolKenai Alternative High School is scheduling appointments for their fourth rotation classes. If you are interested in attending Kenai Alternative, please call the school at 335-2872 to schedule an appointment.

Kenai Central HighWe are halfway through third quarter, if you are starting to fall behind, please make plans to receive extra help and attend the afterschool study hall in the library. The study hall is open Monday through Thursday from 2:30-3:30. For more information, please contact Mrs. Bisset.The 2012 KPBSD H.S. Mass Choir Festival will be held this Monday & Tuesday, February 6th and 7th. All high school students involved in choir throughout the KPBSD will come together at Kenai Central High School for two days of rehearsal under the baton of Dr. Timothy Peter from Luther College - Decorah, Iowa. This will be Dr. Peter's second trip to the Kenai Peninsula. Some of the high school basses and tenors sang with Dr. Peter at the 2010 All-NW Men's in Seattle also. This is always a wonderful concert. Homer, Kenai Central, Ninilchik, Nikiski/Seward, Skyview and Soldotna High Schools will each perform individually beginning at 6:00pm. The Mass Choir of 300 plus students will follow with six very varied selections!! Please join us; it's a very fun concert! Admission: $5.00 Adults / $3.00 Senior Citizens / $2.00 Students.

Mountain View ElementaryThe in-school Forensics competition will take place on Monday, February 20 in the Library. Those 4th and 5th grade students that are chosen to move on will compete in the district Forensics competition on March 3. The Library will be holding a book fair February 22 -24. If you would like to volunteer to help with the book fair please call the office at 283-8600.Congratulations to our "Soaring Eagles" for January. They are Courtney Ellis, Maxim Custodio, Naomi Ellis, Jacan Boatwright, Logan Dosko, James Sparks, Violet Lindsley, Kristi Anderson, Rain Spotted-Eagle Wong, William Ward, Hakoa Montoya, Delbrian Parfitt, Cooper Grimm, Joseph Gottschalk, Rylie Sparks, Willow Patrick, Sierra Moffis, Fiona Becker, Jeffrey Patterson and Roman Custodio. We would like to thank the Kenai Elks Lodge for their donation of dictionaries for all of our 3rd graders and the Kenai Lions Club for their donation of thesauruses for all of our 4th grade students. Congratulations to all of our students that performed for the KMS/Mountain View/Kaleidoscope Talent Show. Kylie Anne Raye took 1st place, Shanna Anderson won 2nd place, and Sharmaine Aguilar won the Judge's Choice Award.

Nikiski North Star ElementaryCongratulations to the NNS Spelling Bee champion fifth grader Shannon Askam! Second place went to third grader Danni Langseth and third place went to fourth grader Kassandra Renfrow. Also we would like to congratulate all classroom participants for a job well done.The last joint site council meeting between NNS and NMHS will be held on Monday, February 6th at 3:45 p.m. This meeting will be held at the elementary school. If you need more information, please call the school at 776-2600.Plan now to attend the NNS Family Science Night now scheduled for Thursday, February 9th. NNS families are invited to participate in an evening of science experiments presented by our staff and the Challenger Learning Center. Teachers Jessica Pena and Brianna Redfern are organizing this fun family centered event. Please contact them if you are interested in volunteering to help.Thursday, February 9th is the date for our school forensics competition beginning about 9:00 am in the library.Our school will be participating in the One School, One Book program for family reading. This year the chosen book is Beverly Cleary's, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. The primary purpose of this program is to encourage reading together at home. This is the fourth year that NNS has been involved in this project. We think it is a wonderful way to celebrate Love of Reading Month.

Redoubt ElementaryCongratulations to our Box Top Winners: Wyatt Nelson, Thomas Hudson, Jaedon Jones, Reva Lovett, Jayden Mineard and Rebekah Hudson!Redoubt PTA and Alaska Christian Ministries are co-sponsoring Practical Positive Parenting Workshops on Tuesdays, January 24 - March 6, from 6 - 8 PM, at Redoubt Elementary. Cost is $30 per family. Interested parents should call 252-9082 for more information and to register. Please join us for our next PTA meeting, Tuesday Feb 7th at 5pm in the teachers' lounge.One School, One Book began Tuesday Jan 31st with a school-wide assembly. All Redoubt families and staff were given a copy of this year's book, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, to read together at home. School activities, including trivia questions and prizes, will promote and enrich this school-wide shared reading experience. The grand finale will be a Cricket in Times Square Family Movie Night on February 23. Mark your calendar! Redoubt's spring musical, featuring 4th - 6th graders, will take place on Thursday, May 10, 6:30 PM, at the So Hi auditorium. Our monthlyy site council meeting is Feb 15th at 3:45 pm in the teachers' lounge.The AASB School Climate and Connectedness Survey will be administered to students in grades 5 and 6 at Redoubt Elementary School and to certified and support staff during the weeks of February 20 - March 2, 2012. The Survey measures student and staff perceptions of school climate, how peers treat each other, observations of student behavior at school, and connections between school and the community. The survey is voluntary, anonymous, confidential, and does not ask questions about students' families. Please contact the school office if you have any questions.

Skyview HighAny senior parents interested in helping with the after-graduation party are invited to attend a planning meeting tonight from 5:15-6:45 pm in the library.Choir students will attend Mass Choir at Kenai Central HS today and Tuesday, with a concert Tuesday night at 6 pm.National Honor Society's new member induction ceremony will take place Wednesday at 6 pm in the commons.Softball open gym will be in the upper gym Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 pm.Thursday is a Super Activity Day and involves some schedule changes. There will be no 5th period class, so the schedule will be periods 1, 2, Clubs, 4, lunch, 6 and 7. Students, please plan accordingly.Girls JV basketball will host Port Lions at 3 pm Thursday.The Borough ski meet, hosted by Soldotna HS, will be Saturday at Tsalteshi Trails.Check out Skyview's blog at http://skyviewhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us for calendars, sports information, announcements, newsletters and other school happenings.

Soldotna ElementarySoldotna Wolves continue to have "paws"ative attitudes and activities!Congratulations to Kallie Kenner for winning the school Geography Bee competition on Thurs., Jan. 10. Brooke Tapia was runner-up. Classroom competitions were held and the classroom winners were as follows: Ms. Courtright's 4th Grade-Brody Reger and Dalton Hulsey; Ms. Bobek's 5th Grade-Cheyenne Groff and Sam Skolnick; Mrs. Pettijohn's 5/6th Grade-Brandon Crowder and Joseph McLeod; and, Ms. Edward's 6th grade- Kallie Kenner and Brooke Tapia. School winners across the United States will now take a written test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in their state Bee on Mar. 30, 2012. Mrs. Courtright's 4th grade class was totally amazed and delighted with a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Performing Arts Center in Anchorage on January 21st. Students were inspired to write about their favorite character and compare and contrast the original video with the musical performance. Once again we've started our Reading Counts Contest for grades 2 through 6. Students are reading books and taking comprehension quizzes for points. The names of those students earning the most points per classroom each week will be announced on the following Monday morning. The contest will end on Fri., May 4. Prizes are awarded occasionally to individual winners in the classrooms. There will be one Grand Prize winner per classroom, and those students will ride to Soldotna City Hall via a fire truck and will meet with Mayor Micciche where they will receive their reading certificates. Back at school they will be served lunch in the library with Mrs. Diamond and Mrs. Adamson. Congratulations to last week's classroom winners: Rhys Cannava (Mrs. Baktuit), Jaala Lopez (Mrs. Davis), Colton Sorhus (Mrs. Straw), Joey Freeman (Ms. Buben), Auree Sorensen (Ms. Courtright), Joseph McLeod (Mrs. Pettijohn), and Brooke Tapia (Ms. Edwards)! Valentine's Day is approaching. Our PTA will be sponsoring Valentine Candy Grams. Please check with the school if you are interested in sending your student a special message. The next site council meeting is Tuesday, February 7th at 4:00 p.m. in the conference room. PTA will be holding a meeting on Thursday, February 9th at 3:45 in the library. Childcare will be provided for the PTA meeting.

Soldotna HighFreshmen class is sponsoring the Sweetheart Dance on Friday, February 10 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Dress is casual and the cost is $5 per person. Refreshments will be available at the dance. Parents who wish to chaperone may contact Lana Syverson at the school. There will be an After Prom meeting on Feb 13th @ 6:00 p.m. in the staff lounge.Soldotna High School is collecting gently used formal dresses, shoes, and accessories for 2012 Cinderella's Closet. This is a program which helps all area high school ladies with prom attire for free. Please email mbos@kpbsd.k12.ak.us for more info. All donations can be dropped off to the front office 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.The KPBSD Federal Programs department is in the process of renewing and revising the Plan of Service for English Language Learners. Part of the process requires feedback from parents, teachers, and community. The following link provides access to the draft Plan of Service for the 2012-2013 year, as well as an online feedback form. Using the online form will send the feedback directly to the ELL Office. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions! http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/departments.aspx?id=128Senior yearbook ad space is available until Monday, February 6th. $85 1 / 4 page, $150 1 / 2 page, $275 full page. Yearbooks may be ordered at ybpay.lifetouch.com or in room 76 for $60.

Tustumena ElementaryFebruary 2-3 -- Parent Teacher Conferences NO SCHOOL for Students. You should now have your Parent/Teacher Conference Scheduling Forms for conferences that will be held February 2nd and 3rd. These forms need to be back no later than the 27th of January so we can be sure to get everyone scheduled and notified of the proper visitation time. If you have not already done so please be sure to take time to respond, as these conferences are a very important part of communication about your child's progress.February 21 -- PTO MeetingFebruary 27 -- Site Council Meeting The PTO is seeking donations for the carnival auction in February. If you work for a business that might be willing to donate for the auction please request the donation or have them contact the school for more information. If you're marking your calendar, the carnival will be on Friday March 2.